J. How would you rate your current line manager?

Although you may get away with pointing out negative aspects of your current
company, you'll be treading on far more dangerous ground in disparaging your boss. In
any situation involving differences of opinion, two sides exist to the story. By talking
about the failings of your current boss, the interviewers may wonder if some of the
fault actually lies with you.
Always be positive about your current manager's abilities and keep any sinister
thoughts to yourself!

"I have a good boss at the moment. He gives me a lot of latitude in how I do my work.
We meet for a couple of hours about once a week to tackle any problems that I
raise. And he trusts me completely, so it's refreshing not to be micro-managed at
all. All in all, he's a good manager to work for."

"I would rate my boss quite highly. I think that she has really taken the time to
understand what I want out of my career and has given tasks that help me to
achieve my goal of moving into a customer-facing role. And she was very
understanding when my son was involved in a car accident last year and I needed to
take quite a few days of to help with his convalescence."

K. What's your manager's biggest failing?

If the interviewers specifically ask you to criticise your boss, try to deflect the
question by emphasising only their good qualities.

"To be honest, I don't think my manager has any major failings. She has a lot of
experience in the field, so I'm always surprised by how much I keep learning from
her. And she has a very dry sense of humour that makes her good fun to be around."

If the interviewers continue to push you to point out a failing or fault in your
current boss, then allow yourself to point out some relatively minor issues.

"I still find it difficult to think of anything that's a real failing. I suppose this is more
of a minor quibble. My manager tends to be incredibly busy and spends quite a lot
of time out of the office, which means that it can be quite difficult to get paperwork
signed of when I need to get authorisation to spend on a large item. But I really
don't want to blow it out of all proportion as he has lots of good points that I've
already mentioned."

"It's really difficult to think of much to complain about. But if I'm being really picky
I guess he can be a bit forgetful at times. He's forgotten times and dates of meetings
on a couple of occasions. But it doesn't happen often, and nowadays I always take
the precaution of copying emails in to his personal assistant so that she can
discretely manage his schedule."

L. Why do you want to leave your current company?

Just as you need to emphasise the positive qualities of jobs that you moved to
when answering Why did you leave each previous employer? (refer to this question
earlier in the previous page) , you need to avoid whingeing about the negative aspects of your
current employment situation such as dull colleagues or a hopeless boss. Focus instead
on the positive qualities of the company that is interviewing you.

"It's not that I want to leave my current company so much as wanting to join
yours. I enjoy my current work and have some great colleagues, and I'm sure that
I'll keep in touch with quite a few of them after I leave. But what I hope to gain from
joining your organisation is the greater involvement in international projects that
I've not had so far in my career."

M. What is your current notice period?

This is a mostly factual question. Read your employment contract before the
interview to ensure that you give the right answer and don't raise a potential
employer's hopes by telling them your notice period is only a month if you are really
tied in for three months!

Don't forget to take into account any leave days that you may have accrued. If
the employer is looking to fill a vacancy urgently, then being able to join even a few
days earlier may swing the decision in your favour. On the other hand, if you do have
any holidays planned that you are unwilling to change, do mention them.

"My notice period is four weeks. But I have five days’ annual leave that I have
yet to take. So in theory I could hand in my notice and start with a new company
within three weeks."

In a few very competitive industries and certain highly-paid jobs, employers
sometimes put employees on gardening leave when they give notice. The employers
no longer want the employees in their workplace (possibly building up ideas or
contacts to take to a new job), so they send them on a period of paid absence. Do
mention if this may be the case for you.

"Technically, my contract says that I have to give three months’ notice. But
when other analysts have handed in their notice in our department, the bank has
always just paid them of and asked them to leave immediately. The only slight
wrinkle is that I have just arranged to take my kids to agodi in two weeks’
time, so I wouldn't be able to start until I return in three weeks."

N May we approach your referees?

Consider asking interviewers to hold off from checking your references until you
have received a definite offer of a job. You don't want to irritate your referees by
bombarding them with requests for references from too many companies.
If you are still in employment and any of your referees work at your company,
you may be worried about the prospect of alerting them to the fact that you're looking
for a job. If you explain your situation in the following way, you'll probably find that
most interviewers are very understanding:

"I'd be happy for you to check my references eventually and I'm sure that they
will confirm everything that I've been saying about myself in this interview. But
would you mind waiting until you've decided to make me a firm offer? I'd rather not
draw their attention to the fact that I'm looking elsewhere for a job."

If you have already left an employer, then your answer can be an unmitigated yes:

"Please do approach my referees. The contact details for my last boss and the
operations director are at the bottom of my CV. I'm sure that they will say pretty
much the same thing about me as I've been telling you."

Most employers make job offers contingent on receiving satisfactory references.
So when you receive such an offer, talk to your referee to make sure that what you
have told your new employer corresponds with what your referee is going to tell them.

Part D- Talking About Why You Want a New Job

A. What do you know about our company?

While this is a very open-ended question, treat it as if the interviewers have
asked you to repeat back to them a couple of positive points attracting you to the
company. Even if you have come across some information about a crisis or failure in
the company, avoid mentioning it unless the interviewers specifically ask you about it.

Engage in some subtle flattery about the interviewers’ company. The
interviewers probably enjoy working there, and they want to know that you will too.

Slip in some mentions of how you know what you know about the company: good
phrases include, I saw on your website, I read in the Financial Times, I gathered
from your annual report and so on.

Take a look at these example responses:

"I know that you are a growing organisation with a turnover of around £70 million last year and that you were awarded the Chemical Engineering Federation's Award
for Innovation two years ago. I read in your annual report that you are increasingly
moving into injection moulded plastics, which I believe will be a growth area given
the trend for car manufacturers to use it in their assembly processes."

"I've been living in the area for a few years now and used to go into your restaurant
on the high street. I have always been impressed by the quality of the food and the
fact that the menu changes every month to incorporate produce that is in season.
The waiting staff has without exception been attentive and friendly too. So when I
heard that you were opening another restaurant and were recruiting, it was really a
no-brainer to apply to work for you."

"I used to work as an in-house lawyer and our head of department always used to
say that if she had the budget, she would be using your firm. I read on your website
that you have recently opened an office in Amsterdam and are opening another
early next year in Prague in line with the managing partner's vision of creating a
truly European firm. And if I'm honest, that kind of growth and opportunity is very
attractive."

"I appreciate the fact that you use only organic, natural ingredients in your skincare
products. I also read on your website that you have ambitious growth plans and
that the board is unwilling to sell out to a large multinational business because
they are worried that the original philosophy of the company's founders to use
natural ingredients and recipes that have been handed down the generations may
be diluted."

Great Job AMZYMAYO. following bomba-bomba

B. How much do you know about this position?

Before you go for the interview, practise saying out loud the key responsibilities
of the job. This is a critically important question and you do not want to have to utter
any erms or ums when answering it.
Try these responses on for size:

"I gather that it is a full-time position working in either the Fulham or Ealing health
clubs. The main responsibility is educating gym users and ensuring that they are
using the equipment safely. And if they want a personal training plan, to sit down
with them, understand their goals and structure a workout schedule for them. At the
same time, the job's not just about safety and training, but also about building a
rapport with gym users so that they grow accustomed to visiting the gym and are
therefore more likely to renew their memberships when they expire."

"The successful applicant will work directly with the purchasing director. The
biggest part of the role will be to provide administrative support to the director as
well as the two purchasing managers, which may include anything from arranging
travel and overnight stays for them to handling incoming phone calls and
formatting the occasional document."

petengine:
Great Job AMZYMAYO.
following bomba-bomba

Thank You sir

C. How would you rate our products / services / website?

Don't automatically assume that you must flatter the interviewers by making
implausibly positive remarks about their products, services or website. If the fact that
these aspects are flawed or missing some key element in some way is common
knowledge, then the interviewers may appreciate your insight.
Use the 2:1 rule when discussing the company's products and services. Doing
so means making at least two positive comments about the company's product before mentioning one negative comment. For example:

"I think your clothing range is fantastic – otherwise I wouldn't be applying to
work here. The women's basics are extremely good value and it always surprises me
how quickly you get catwalk trends into your shops. The smarter clothes are also
very impressive – I've spotted that a few other shops on the high street are
following your lead in having a more tailored jacket shape this season. I guess the
only gap is a men's range, but I've read rumours in the trade press that you're thinking of launching one next year"

Do your research before the interview in order to answer this question
successfully. If the company has a tangible product, get your hands on it beforehand so that you can experience it for yourself.

D. What is it that attracts you to our company?

This question is very similar to What do you know about our company?
(detailed earlier). Think about how the organisation likes to portray
itself to the outside world and answer this question by listing two or three qualities or
characteristics that attract you to it, specifically explaining why each of those qualities
is of interest to you.

"You have a great reputation in the marketplace, and it's extremely important for me
to be working for a market leader. Your two-month training programme would be
an excellent springboard for my career, too."

"The school has an excellent reputation in the county for helping its students to
achieve top exam grades. You also have some of the best facilities and resources.
More than that, I've been very impressed by some of the other teachers that I met
last week – they all seemed relaxed, friendly and very supportive."

E. How would you rate us against our competitors?

Most interviewers want to hear that they rate very highly against their
competitors. Of course, this question assumes that you know not only quite a bit about
the interviewers’ company, but also have at least a passing familiarity with their main
competitors.

Talk up some of the positive ways in which this company compares with its
competitors. Even if the company is not the largest, it may be the fastest growing.
Perhaps the company has some highly rated products or the best training programme.
Just make sure you have something positive to say!

"You have a fantastic reputation. You grew by nine per cent last year, which
was nearly twice that of any other publisher. And you're the market leader in the
health and fitness and youth magazine segments, which are both predicted to be
major growth areas in the medium term."

If you're being hired to revamp part of the company – for example, the role is specifically to do with turning around the business – then feel free to constructively criticise the company.

"I think the products used to be leaders in the field about three or four years ago. But some of the
discount retailers have really brought the quality of their products up to scratch, which has left
some of your products looking a little tired. But the situation's not irrecoverable as I think
customers still have a great affinity for the brand."

F. What do you think our unique selling point is?

Most organisations believe that they are better than their competitors or unique in
some respect. A unique selling point is pretty much what it says – the reason why a
company stands out as different to its competitors. If asked this question, tell the
interviewers what they want to hear.

"I believe you're still the only company that produces its drinks using only
entirely fresh ingredients, while all of the other fruit drink makers use at least some
fruit from concentrate."

Your research should uncover some hints as to how the company sees itself. Look for how the company describes itself and try to paraphrase some of these key terms back at the interviewers.

Even if you can't unearth any features that are entirely unique to this one
organisation, you can argue that the combination of two or three aspects makes it
unique.

"Your bank offers some of the best value products on the high street while at the
same time offering customers the ability to ring up their local branch rather than
be put through to a faceless call centre."

G. Do you have any concern about our organization?


Even if you do have some concerns, your safest bet is to keep these to yourself
for the moment. Wait until you have been offered a job to ask the questions that you
really want answered. If asked this question during the initial interview, use the
opportunity to reiterate one or two reasons why you want to work for this company:

"Not at all. I like what I've seen and heard so far. In particular, I didn't realise
that the fast-track promotion scheme was being made available to all of the team
leaders. So that would be a real bonus for me."

The only exception to this rule would be if some piece of news or a rumour
has been widely reported in the trade press or newspapers:

"Nearly everything does sound great about your company. But I have to say that
the recent departure of your finance director and the subsequent drop in your share
price did leave me wondering about the financial stability of the business. Rumour
has it that you will need to make mass redundancies to achieve your end-of-year
target. How might that affect the team that I would be joining?"

H. Why are you looking to leave your current company?

This question is very similar to Why did you leave each previous company?
(covered earlier).
You win more brownie points by talking about why you want to join the
interviewers’ organisation than by whingeing about what is wrong with your current
employer.
Try one of these sample answers on for size:

"I don't really want to leave as I've got some good friends there. But I think that I
have learned as much as I can. In order to push myself, I need to work for a larger
business that will offer me a greater diversity of personnel and training issues."

"The situation is not so much that I want to leave my current hospital as I want to
join your department. In order to reach my goal of becoming a certified
physiotherapist, I need to get more experience of working with patients with sports
injuries, which I would be able to get with you."

I. Why do you want to work in this industry?

Before you blurt out the real reasons why you want to work in the interviewers’
industry, do think about the socially acceptable reasons for doing so. For example,
saying that you want to work in television production because It sounds glamorous
and well paid won't go down as well as saying Every day is different and you have
an instrumental role in communicating interesting ideas to a wide audience.
Respond to this question by emphasising your skills and strengths. Here's another
example to base your own on:

"I've always wanted to work in the not-for-profit sector because I feel that it's
important to be giving something back to the community and society as a whole
rather than only making profit for shareholders. The people that I've talked to so
far all seem to have a real desire and passion to make a difference, and I really
want to be surrounded by people like that rather than people who work only to earn
a living."

J. Who else are you applying to?

In the dim and distant past, applying to multiple employers may have been taken
as a sign of disloyalty. But in today's job market, responding that you have applied to a
number of companies shouldn't be a problem. You want your response to indicate that
you are actively looking – but you don't necessarily need to name the other employers
or go into specifics.

Feel free to say that you have applied for the same role in different companies.
But saying that you have applied for many different roles is almost certain to be read
as a sign of indecision about what you really want from your career.
See if you can adapt one of these example answers to suit your situation:

"I've applied to the other large accountancy firms as well. I've decided that I want to
train as an auditor, but I want to work for a nationwide firm rather than a local or
even medium-sized firm."

"I've applied to a range of companies who are all willing to support employees in
achieving the national certificate in IT skills. I've applied to a couple of businesses
in the Bromley area as well as the local council. But I have to say that my
preference would be to work for a small company such as yours where I could get to
know the rest of the team."

K. How does this job compare with others you're looking at?

This question is often an obvious follow up to Who else are you applying to?
(dealt in J). A good answer must explain to the interviewers
why you think that this job is better than the others you're considering. Draw upon your
research on the company's nature and offerings for an ideal response.

In reality, the differences between competitors in the same sector may be very
slight to people outside of that industry. But you can bet that those differences seem
very pronounced to those who work in that industry, so make sure that you understand
them.
Have a look at these good responses:

"It's difficult to distinguish between the different jobs because this is the first
interview that I have attended. But you have been very friendly yet challenging
today. And the fact that your recruitment team responded so quickly probably says
something about the efficiency and professionalism of the rest of the organisation,
too."

"The day-to-day job isn't in itself that different from the other hospitality jobs. What
is different, though, is that you are a part of a much larger group, which would give
me greater options for career progression in the medium-to-long term.
Given that you won a national award for your graduate training scheme last year,
I'd be silly to want to work anywhere else."

Good Job Bro., we are following.

talk2yommex2000:
Good Job Bro., we are following.

Thank u sir

L. Have you received any job of ers so far?

Interviewers often think that candidates who have received job offers from
elsewhere – particularly from their competitors – are probably more desirable than
ones who have not. The ideal response talks about other offers that you have received.

"Yes, I've received an offer from Alliance Ventures for the same role. But my gut
instinct is that the culture here would suit me much more. While the people here
obviously work hard, I get the feeling that you don't take yourselves quite so
seriously as they do at Alliance."

Don't lie if you haven't received any offers, though! If the interviewers start to
ask more questions about your other offers, you'll almost certainly get caught out. If
you haven't received any offers, just be honest and say that you have yet to receive any.

"No, I haven't yet. But this is only the second interview that I've attended so far,
and I have at least two more interviews in the next few weeks."

M. How would you describe your dream job?

This is a trick question. The interviewers are surreptitiously trying to sound
out how much you want to work in the position that you're applying for. The
interviewers will reject you if you describe a job that is too far removed from what is
on offer. Respond to this question by mentioning as many positive aspects of this job
as you can.

Think about the specific job you're applying for. What are the positive aspects
of this job that make you want to work for this company?

"I've always wanted to work in sales. I enjoy the process of researching customers
and pursuing them until I can close a deal. I can't really imagine working in any
other function."

"My long-term dream job is to become a finance manager. So what I hope to get out
of this job is solid training, plus support and sponsorship for me to complete my
accountancy exams."

"What I'm looking for is a job that will provide me with some career opportunities.
I've had a couple of jobs in the last few years, but I want to settle down with one
company that will provide me with good training and hopefully opportunities to
develop myself."

N-Who would your ideal employer be?

Be careful of this trick question. You can get into hot water if you name an
organisation too different from the one interviewing you. The interviewers obviously
want to hire someone who wants to work for them; they won't want to hire someone
who is considering their organisation only as a second choice. However, don't lie.
Unless the interviewers’ organisation genuinely is your ideal employer, don't say that
it is. Instead, focus on some of the attributes about this organisation that do attract you.
Consider these two answers:

"I want to work for a large employer that's truly international in scope. Getting a
good training programme is obviously very important. And I want the opportunity
further down the line – perhaps three or five years in the future – to be able to
transfer to an overseas office."

"My ideal employer would be based in the Oxford area. It would be a small firm of
surveyors because I want to get to know a team well. And it would specialise in
commercial and industrial rather than residential projects because that is where
my interest lies. So your firm fits all three of those criteria for me."

O. What do you think you can bring to the team?

Treat this question as if the interviewer is asking you to name two or three skills
and qualities that they want and you have. Make sure that you tailor your response to
how you would use those skills and qualities in the team environment.
Even if you have already answered questions about your skills and
experience, interviewers rarely tire of hearing the same message.

"What I can bring to the team begins with my research credentials and track record
of adding value through both qualitative and quantitative research. I'm also the
sort of person who doesn't give up easily when faced with a challenge. In fact, I
positively enjoy having new problems to crack. All in all, I think I'd be a real asset
to the team."

"I've been told that I'm a good person to have on the team because I'm willing to
give of myself. I actively enjoy coaching and enthusing others about the work
because it's a job that I'm enormously passionate about."

If the interviewers want you to talk in more detail about what you can bring to
their company, think back to some of the answers you have prepared in response to
questions asking you to talk about yourself.

O. We are a diverse company – how will you cope with that?

By diversity, employers are usually referring to the fact that their company
aspires to not only tolerate, but embrace employees from all walks of life regardless
of their gender, age, country of origin, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, disability
and so on. It makes good sense for organisations to seek out diverse people because
good managers and employees can come from all sorts of backgrounds.
A good answer is to say that you'd have no problem with this situation because
your current employer is also very diverse.

"I'm glad to hear that your company is very diverse because our company is too.
Thinking about our department alone, we have more female managers than male
managers. The department head is ten years younger than I am. And I'm pretty sure
that most minorities and other cultures are very well represented too."

"Our organisation was very diverse, so I have good experience of working with
people with all kinds of backgrounds. In working with our development team in
Japan, we learned that the Japanese don't always like to say ‘no’ to your face, so I
had to give them other, less direct opportunities to disagree with my ideas."

P. What are your views on corporate social responsibility?

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) refers to an organisation's aim to not
only make money, but also contribute something to its local communities, society at
large and even the whole planet. In theory, this means that an organisation should seek
to behave ethically towards all of its stakeholders – that is, all of the different groups
that it touches such as customers, suppliers, local communities and so on. Another
buzz word is sustainability or the aim of running an organisation in such a way that it
doesn't have a detrimental effect on the planet.
Most large organisations have official statements about CSR and what they do to
be more socially responsible. So a good start would be to look up what any
interviewer's organisation says on the topic.

"I think it's an important goal for businesses to be socially responsible. In this
age of social media, people can find out so quickly whether a business is oppressing
its factory workers or damaging the environment. So I'd argue that corporate social
responsibility isn't just a ‘nice to have’ but something that's critical if an
organisation wants to have a future."

I want to appreciate the wonderful work you're doing on here. I attended an interview today armed with the tips you've outlined and it was great. They were three of them(interviewers) and should I say how wowed they were? Thank you, God bless you.

Chinewon88:
I want to appreciate the wonderful work you're doing on here. I attended an interview today armed with the tips you've outlined and it was great. They were three of them(interviewers) and should I say how wowed they were? Thank you, God bless you.

Am pleased to hear this sir. I wish you the best in it.

Q. We're working towards being an environmentally friendly
and carbon neutral company. How might you contribute?

Doing well by the environment is one particular aspect of corporate social
responsibility. If you can, give an example of how you behaved in a way that showed
your consideration for the environment.

"I think that our organisation did a decent job in terms of reducing our
environmental impact. We were amongst the first to recycle paper many years ago.
We also separated out waste in the canteen with plastics being recycled and food
waste being composted. The senior managers didn't seem keen on doing more, but I
can certainly see that reducing waste ultimately saves a business money, so I'd be
happy to get involved in those kinds of initiatives if given the chance."

R. What kind of manager would you like to work for?

The interviewers want to see how you may fit into their particular organisation,
so no single right answer applies to all interviewers. You need to figure out the kind
of culture and style of manager that you may end up with in this company.
Consider these two example responses:

"I'd like to work for a manager who is supportive of me and my career goals. I've
reached the stage now where I'm good at my job, but I want to advance to the next
level. So I hope that my manager will be brave enough to give me big projects and
challenging work that keep me interested."

"I enjoy working for supervisors who are very clear in communicating exactly what
they want from the rest of the team. I've observed teams having problems when it
hasn't been clear who was supposed to be doing what."

S. How long do you plan to stay in this job?

One of the biggest concerns employers have is recruiting a candidate who
decides to leave after only a handful of months. Especially if an employer is planning
to invest time and money in training you, they probably want you to stay for a period of
at least three or four years. Make it clear that you are looking to develop your career
within a single organisation – theirs.

Saying that you want to change roles in less than a couple of years is okay so
long as you make it clear that you want to stay with the one employer.

"I can see myself staying with you for the foreseeable future – certainly for at
least three or five years. As I've explained though, I don't see myself staying in the
role of internal compliance for more than nine months to a year. I see it as a
stepping stone to achieving a regional management position either in the UK or the
rest of Europe."

If you've jumped around a lot of jobs, try to reassure the interviewers that you are
now looking for career stability. Perhaps mitigating circumstances (such as family
circumstances) led to you changing jobs in the past. So be sure to set the interviewers’
minds at ease that, should you be offered the job, you will not leave within just a few
months.